7. Stockiemuir

Today’s colour is Stockiemuir, a glorious yellow green shade that’s almost (but not quite) the colour of this luminous macaron!

Observe this lettuce on the chopping board – one of life’s greatest yellow green pleasures; somewhere in the ombre joy of a lettuce heart is the point between yellow and green at which Stockiemuir is born!

Kate says this colour was named after “a well-known stretch of common land near our home… Muir means moor, of course, and stockie points to the fact that the land was once used for common grazing. In spring, the Stockiemuir suddenly bursts into to life in just this shade of green: the vibrant colour of fresh, young, new growth”.

I certainly see stretches of grazed common land here. Though these photos were taken in autumn and not in spring, Ronnie Eunson’s wonderful Shetland flock seem very happy on their Stockiemuir-coloured hills.

Closer to home here in Hastings, I am surprised by how many things in the garden even on a grey and rainy morning speak to this shade.

Hello, mosses…

…and lichens.

The passionflower plant that grows towards the back of the garden is a bit Stockiemuir-ish as well…

…and on a drab grey winters’ day in the UK, some of the brightest flashes of colour can be found in ragged bramble leaves.

The folks who lived here before us had a great penchant for planting palm trees in the garden. As their tough leaves yield to the firsts frosts and are blown yellow by December winds, they speak to Stockiemuir, too.

Inside the house, there are plenty of happy flashes of Stockiemuir joy to be found. The cactus buddy on the windowsill by my kitchen sink has an affinity for this yellow-green colour with its blush of rusty warmth…

…and it’s the same colour as one of Mark’s favourite store-bought sweaters.

My “I Love Shetland” badges have a touch of Stockiemuir…

…and though it’s not the exact same as any of the yarns I used, Stockiemuir seems to speak to the palette in this cherished phone-cosy that I made in Wilma Malcolmson’s “Painting with yarn” class at Shetland Wool Week a couple of years ago.

Thinking of it, Stockiemuir reminds me of another special Shetland memory: Da Heoghland Rodd, and the shades Caroline and I dyed our yarns for making socks to pay homage to this place.

Down by the shore here, the clay is a dull yellow cream. But here and there, a sort of algae lichen moss traces bright green lines through the ground, like veins of Stockiemuir.

If you want to recycle your clothes in St. Leonards-on-sea, you’ll find a wondrous Stockiemuir-coloured bin where you can leave them.

Venturing out with Stockiemuir has made me think a lot about the balance of yellow within every shade of green.
What has Stockiemuir inspired you to think about, today?

These posts coincide with the KDD & Co. Colour Compass advent calendars. Each day, throughout December I’ll be opening my calendar beside you, and exploring the yarn shade that is revealed for that day. Read more about these posts here, and prepare for a few weeks of polychromatic fun as we discover the shades together and revel in their suggestive associations and creative possibilities together! Even if you don’t have a calendar, I hope you’ll love exploring colours with me, and thinking about each shade as it appears, and how it is connected with the everyday colours of your life.